Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal shock resistance testing method of a ceramic body and a thermal shock resistance testing apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
As a catalyst carrier which purifies exhaust gas emitted from an internal combustion engine, a honeycomb structure which is a ceramic body has been widely used. Particularly, for a three-way catalyst carrier for gasoline vehicles is exposed to exhaust gas of high temperature, high thermal shock resistance is necessary. However, the required thermal shock resistance varies depending on the automotive companies, engines, and vehicle types, and thus only a sub-optimized thermal shock resistance testing method has been established.
As a method of evaluating thermal shock resistance, a cold shock testing apparatus has been employed hitherto. In Patent Document 1, a cold and heat shock testing apparatus having a structure in which a testing chamber that accommodates a specimen, a high-temperature chamber, and a low-temperature chamber are separately provided in a state where the testing chamber is interposed, a bumper is installed between the high-temperature chamber and the low-temperature chamber, and hot air and cold air are alternately supplied into the testing chamber is described.
In Patent Document 2, a thermal shock testing apparatus which extracts a test piece that is uniformly heated in a furnace from the furnace, ejects a cooling gas from a side to rapidly cool the test piece and cause an unsteady thermal stress, and measures the temperature of the outer surface of the test piece using a thermographic camera provided on a side opposite to the side where the cooling gas is ejected is described.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A 2001-83058
[Patent Document 2] JP-A 10-170421